HiveAlive Liquid (100ML, 500ML, 2L, 10L)
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HiveAlive is a liquid feed supplement for honeybees that can be easily added to syrup.
Why use HiveAlive Liquid?
Feed HiveAlive for:
- More Bees
- More Honey
- Improved overwinter survival
- Improved bee gut health
- Prevent syrup from fermenting
What is HiveAlive Liquid?
HiveAlive is a concentrated blend of unique Irish seaweed extracts specifically selected to support honeybee health, lemongrass oil and thymol. Find out more about the ingredients that make HiveAlive so special here.
When to use HiveAlive Liquid?
At a minimum, feed HiveAlive annually at the end of the honey harvest when the honey supers have been removed.
For best results, HiveAlive can be added to all sugar syrup fed.
How to use HiveAlive Liquid?
- Shake bottle well. Contents will settle.
- Add 1 tsp of HiveAlive per gallon of sugar syrup. Feed a minimum of 1 gallon of activated syrup per colony. Ideally all syrup fed is activated by HiveAlive.
- Mix well.
Can be added to candy or inverted syrup. The temperature of syrup/candy must not be above 50°C/122°F.
Watch How to use HiveAlive video
Bees underperforming, weak or not feeding? Spray/drench the colony.
- Add 1 fl. oz. of HiveAlive to 100 fl. oz. light sugar syrup (1 part water: 1 part sugar).
- This can be sprayed / drenched to lightly wet bees and frames, once per week for three weeks to cover full breeding cycle.
- For extra benefit, hives can be fed/sprayed/drenched in spring.
Hives can be fed/sprayed/drenched up to 2 weeks before adding honey supers.
Tips for use from beekeepers:
- Spray/drench the hive with activated syrup to aid new queen acceptance
- Feed HiveAlive activated syrup 1-2 weeks before administering thymol based miticides to limit bearding/absconding
- Enhance protein patties by adding HiveAlive. Or buy our ready to feed ones (link to pollen patty product page)
- Spray hives that are weak or not feeding to help strengthen and clean up the hive
- Add HiveAlive to leftover syrup to stop it from going bad
- Brush/spray on activated syrup to revitalise old foundation
FAQ's
Using HiveAlive
How many times per year should I feed HiveAlive?
For best results, we recommend adding HiveAlive to all syrup fed. The amount of syrup colonies consume will vary greatly with location, size, time of year etc. As a guide for an average sized colony we recommend feeding a minimum of 1 gallon/4L of activated syrup per hive (10ml of HiveAlive) in fall and again in spring. Fall is the most beneficial time to feed with HiveAlive.
Can I add it to all syrup fed?
For best results, we recommend adding HiveAlive to all syrup fed as long as it is added at a rate of 2 tsp of HiveAlive per gallon of syrup. We recommend feeding a minimum of 1 gallon/4L of activated syrup per hive
(10ml of HiveAlive) in autumn and again in spring.
Can I feed it to nucs/packages?
Yes it is a good idea to give new nucs/packages syrup activated with HiveAlive to help increase populations and improve intestinal
well-being.
Can HiveAlive be added to fondant/candy?
Yes HiveAlive can be added to fondant/candy. You must ensure that the temperature of the fondant/candy is below 50°C/122°F before adding
HiveAlive. Have you heard about our HiveAlive Fondant?
Can HiveAlive be added to protein patties?
Yes HiveAlive can be added to enhance your protein patties. Add 10ml per kg of patty. Have you heard about our HiveAlive protein patties? They contain the correct amount of HiveAlive as well as added seaweed nutrients. These patties contain 15% pollen.
What happens if I add too much HiveAlive to the syrup and give it to my colonies?
If you add too much HiveAlive to your syrup by accident, don’t worry, the bees should not consume the syrup due to high concentration of thyme
oil. However, you should remove the feeders if possible and dilute the mixture with more syrup in order to get the right concentration.
Can HiveAlive be used with Honey B Healthy?
HiveAlive contains an optimal concentration of lemongrass that is attractive to honeybees but does not induce robbing. As HoneyB Healthy also contains
lemongrass, we do not recommend feeding both as robbing may occur.
Can HiveAlive be used with varroa treatments?
Yes. In fact, if using thymol based miticides such as ApilifeVar, it may be useful to feed HiveAlive 1-2 weeks before administering the miticide as it may reduce bearding/absconding.
Can HiveAlive be sprayed onto bees?
Yes. HiveAlive can be added to a light sugar syrup at a max concentration of 1:100 for spraying onto bees and frames. You should only lightly cover
bees to avoid drowning them. We recommend doing this once per week for three weeks to cover full brood cycle.
My Bees are not taking down the syrup with HiveAlive added, what is wrong?
Make sure you have used the correct concentration of HiveAlive for syrup feeding. You should add 2 tsp of HiveAlive per gallon of syrup. If correct amounts used, there may be nectar available for the bees. Bees will favour nectar over syrup if available.
There are a lot of feed supplements on the market, why should I pick HiveAlive?
Unlike a lot of the other products on the market, HiveAlive has been
extensively tested in field trials to demonstrate the benefits of
feeding. These tests have been carried out by independent researchers and the results are published in scientific journals. In addition, all of the ingredients and manufacturing process are fully audited and
adhere to strict regulations.
HiveAlive is quite concentrated and only 2 tsp of HiveAlive is required per 1 gallon of syrup. This means excellent value for money and the cost to treat one hive can be as low
as $1 depending on the bottle size used.
How long will syrup keep for when HiveAlive is added?
HiveAlive prevents syrup from fermenting for around 5 months. If you have made up too much syrup you can store it until you need it again if HiveAlive
has been added.
Why are there some dead bees in the feeder when I feed HiveAlive?
Because the HiveAlive syrup is so attractive to the bees, that in their rush to get to the HiveAlive syrup they end up pushing other bees into the
syrup and drowning them. Most of the time this doesn’t happen and it seems to depend on how hungry the bees are and the type of feeder used. You can minimise the drowning by helping the bees hold onto the feeder better by sandpapering the sides of the feeder that the bees are on. What also helps is putting some sort of grid or mesh at the bottom of the feeder to prevent the bees from downing in the syrup.
Product Features
Does HiveAlive have an expiry Date?
The expiry date for the HiveAlive supplement is 3 years from date of manufacture. The date is printed on the bottle. The expiry date of the HiveAlive fondant is 2 years from date of manufacture. For the HiveAlive pollen patties. best results are seen if used within 6 months of
manufacture.
Where should I store HiveAlive?
HiveAlive should be stored in a cool, dark place. Do not store below 8°C/46°F.
Is HiveAlive a medicine?
No HiveAlive is a feed supplement for honeybees.
HiveAlive Ingredients
What's in HiveAlive?
HiveAlive is mainly composed of a blend of seaweed extracts that were specifically selected for honeybee health. The seaweed extracts are blended with lemongrass and thyme oil in an easy to use liquid form.
Are all the ingredients used in HiveAlive approved for animal feeds?
Yes all the ingredients in HiveAlive are compliant with EU and FDA
regulations meaning you have a quality product that is safe for use.
Are there any GMO ingredients in HiveAlive?
No there are no GMO ingredients in HiveAlive or harsh chemicals. All the ingredients are naturally derived and approved for feeding to honeybees.
Buying HiveAlive
Where can I buy HiveAlive?
HiveAlive is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Check our Where to buy page to find your nearest retailer. If you are a retailer interested in stocking HiveAlive, contact us to learn more about selling HiveAlive.
Which bottle size is suitable for me?
HiveAlive is available in 100ml, 500ml and 2L bottles. 10L bottles are available in some countries, check with your nearest retailer for availability.
100ml will activate 10.5 gallons of syrup which is enough to feed 10 hives.
500ml will activate 52.8 gallons of syrup which is enough to feed 50 hives.
2L will activate 211 gallons of syrup which is enough to feed 200 hives.
10L will activate 1057 gallons of syrup which is enough to feed 1000 hives.
Why should I buy HiveAlive?
You should use HiveAlive if you…
Want to increase colony size
Want to increase honey yields
Have weak hives
Are worried that your hives might not survive the winter
Want to boost colony production in spring
Have nosema
Have chalkbrood
Want to build up nucs, packages and swarns
Want to feed colonies with a safe, naturally derived feed supplemenet
Want to strengthen hives before migration (migratory hives in the US have higher levels of Nosema than stationary hivesi)
Have syrup that you want to store (HiveAlive prevents syrup fermentation)
Want to feed for longer (longer feeding window as syrup does not ferment)
Want to save time and money
“We have been using Hive Alive for three years now and have found it to be very effective in bee health. We operate 20,000 hives in around the center of the North Island, producing Clover, Bush honey and manuka honey. We feed Hive Alive in the Autumn around the months of April and May. The population increases rapidly and honey production increased. On average production per hive is approximately 25% more and the hives are more consistent in the production. We test our bees for Nosema ceranae during spring and have found that it has a very low or non-detectable level. To summarise we would recommend using Hive Alive to beekeepers because honey production per hive far exceeds the cost of the product.”
Donald Tweeddale, Commercial Beekeeper (20,000 hives), New Zealand
“The colonies we fed with HiveAlive last year have had only 15 percent losses so far, compared to 25 percent for the rest. They appear to have built-up very well. There were 75 colonies that we started from packages in early April and we split them into 300 in mid-June. My close beekeeper friend who runs about 300 colonies bought the same packages of bees in April. He also split them, but he didn't experience the same buildup that I saw in my bees. He did not use HiveAlive, and he has since seen losses of about 35 percent, so far. He plans to buy some HiveAlive this week.”
Nick S., 1000 colonies, New York, USA
“We had a very wet Spring and had to feed longer than usual since the bees could not get out. So instead of just syrup and pollen patties we used HiveAlive this year in our syrup to help boost our hives. It has really made a Huge difference in our brood production. Our hives are full and we are seeing an astounding difference in our honey production this year already. I will definitely will be using when we feed over winter to help keep the colonies healthy."
LM, USA
“I have been very impressed with the product so far. I work closely with another local beekeeper and we generally follow similar treatment protocols. Early in the fall, both of us had losses of around 20 percent, but by late November, we noticed his hives were not as strong as mine, and he has since incurred greater losses. The one main difference in our operations: I use HiveAlive.”
Steve S., 200 colonies, Michigan, USA
"My colony loss rate during last year's brutal winter was about 10-15 percent of our entire honeybee population. While that may seem high, it was far less severe than other beekeepers in the province, who had over-winter losses of at least 50 percent in their colonies. Prior to using HiveAlive, I would mix my syrup and put it in the feeders. When I'd go back later to refill the feeder, I'd find that the syrup had gone bad with green mold. Since I have been incorporating HiveAlive into my syrup, none of it has gone moldy. I was kind of shocked. Even unused syrup from the spring will last into the fall with HiveAlive in it. That was a totally unexpected development. I think beekeepers recognize the benefits of HiveAlive on the gut of the bee. It's getting a good reputation for helping the bees' digestive systems and getting them through the tough Canadian winters. My bees are alive, they're healthy, and we're definitely not having the losses that everyone else is suffering. HiveAlive is really paying off for me."